The Renaissance was a time of
contradictions: sumptuous courts, exquisite art and architecture,
classical works of literature, but also greed, malice and murder. It
was a time when political disputes were often solved by the dagger.
Women as well as men played a significant role in this turbulent
time: Lucrezia Burnabuoni, who helped her son Lorenzo d'Medici rule
Florence; Caterina Sforza, who tricked her husband's assassins into
letting into the fortress of Ravaldino where she held them off and
overcame the rebels; the sisters, Isabella and Beatrice d'Este, first
ladies of the rival kingdoms of Mantua and Milan; Lucrezia Borgia,
daughter of Pope Alexander VI; and more. A colorful cast of
characters skilfully brought to life.
This well-researched book reads almost
like a historical novel. The setting has all the elements of romance
and intrigue, and the ladies who ruled the Italian peninsula were
strong women whose lives were full of political intrigue, violence,
and romance. The author does an excellent job of showing them to us
as real people with loves, hates, and fears.
It does take concentration to read the
book. I found the Italian names confusing in the beginning, but I
gradually got used to them. There are a great many characters with
the same or almost identical names. However, it's worth the trouble
to sort them out.
I highly recommend this book if you
enjoy history, or even if you love a good story. This is not an easy,
light book, but it is well worth reading.
I reviewed this book for the Amazon
Vine Program.
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